Astronomy & the Universe
What is the name of the force that keeps planets orbiting the Sun?
What is gravity?
How long does Earth take to complete one rotation?
What is 24 hours?
What instrument measures air pressure?
What is a barometer?
What type of plate boundary forms when two plates move apart?
What is a divergent boundary?
What happens to water when it freezes?
It expands.
Which layer of the Sun is the visible surface that emits most of the light we see?
What is the photosphere?
What causes day and night on Earth?
What is Earth's rotation?
At approximately which latitudes are the horse latitudes located?
What are 30° North and 30° South?
What type of rock forms when magma cools and solidifies?
What is an igneous rock?
What process causes dissolved minerals to be left behind as water evaporates?
What is the precipitation of minerals?
What evidence supports the Big Bang Theory because it is detected coming from all directions in space?
What is cosmic microwave background radiation?
What is Earth's axial tilt?
What is 23.5°?
In the horse latitudes, is the air generally rising or sinking?
What is sinking (descending) air?
Which seismic waves cannot travel through Earth's liquid outer core?
What are S-waves?
Why do hydroelectric power plants generally have less impact on climate than fossil fuel plants?
They use a renewable resource and produce much less carbon dioxide.
As the distance from Earth to a satellite decreases, how does Earth's gravitational field strength change?
What is the increase in the gravitational field strength?
Why do locations in the Northern Hemisphere experience summer when Earth is farther from the Sun than during winter?
Because seasons are caused by Earth's tilt, not distance from the Sun.
Which global wind belt moves air masses from the subtropics toward 60° N latitude?
What are the prevailing westerlies?
What evidence from the ocean floor supports the theory of plate tectonics?
Symmetrical magnetic striping and seafloor spreading.
How does increasing plant cover affect runoff and erosion?
Runoff decreases and erosion decreases.
Explain how redshifted light from distant galaxies provides evidence that the universe is expanding.
The wavelengths become longer (a shift toward red), indicating that galaxies are moving away from Earth and that the universe is expanding.
Explain why isolation is greatest when the Sun's noon altitude is highest.
Solar energy is concentrated over a smaller area and passes through less atmosphere.
A hurricane's wind speed decreases after landfall. What happens to the storm's central air pressure?
The air pressure increases as the storm weakens.
Explain how convection currents within Earth's mantle drive plate tectonics.
Hot mantle material rises, cools, sinks, and creates convection currents that move tectonic plates.
During a prolonged drought, what happens to the water table and groundwater availability?
The water table drops, reducing groundwater availability and making wells less productive.